Striking a chord: 'Rockin' exhibition spotlights local legends

Scott Gargan

Published 12:52 pm, Thursday, February 13, 2014

Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club fame one of the musical acts highlighted in the Fairfield Museum & History Center's new exhibition, "Fairfield's Rockin' Top Ten." On view through April 28, the exhibition celebrates 10 musicians or musical acts that have contributed to the rich musical legacy of the greater Fairfield area.
Photo: Contributed Photo

Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club...

The late jazz pianist Dave Brubeck is one of the musicians highlighted in the Fairfield Museum & History Center's new exhibition, "Fairfield's Rockin' Top Ten." On view through April 28, the exhibition celebrates 10 musicians or musical acts that have contributed to the rich musical legacy of the greater Fairfield area.
Photo: Contributed Photo

The late jazz pianist Dave Brubeck is one of the musicians...

Grammy Award winner and "Feliz Navidad" singer Jose Feliciano is one of the artists highlighted in the Fairfield Museum & History Center's new exhibition, "Fairfield's Rockin' Top Ten." On view through April 28, the exhibition celebrates 10 musicians or musical acts that have contributed to the rich musical legacy of the greater Fairfield area.
Photo: Contributed Photo

Grammy Award winner and "Feliz Navidad" singer Jose Feliciano is...

Barry Tashian (third from left) of The Remains -- the band that opened for the Beatles during the group's 1966 U.S. tour -- is one of the artists highlighted in the Fairfield Museum & History Center's new exhibition, "Fairfield's Rockin' Top Ten." On view through April 28, the exhibition celebrates 10 musicians or musical acts that have contributed to the rich musical legacy of the greater Fairfield area.
Photo: Contributed Photo

Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth left the urban madness of Manhattan 30 years ago in search of fresh air, green grass and good schools for their two children.

They also wanted to play their music without disturbing the entire neighborhood.

The couple found just what they were looking for in Fairfield. Settling in a farmhouse-style home (inground pool included) in the town's Greenfield section, they weren't too far away from the train station, but just far enough from their nearest neighbor not to cause a complaint.

As it turns out, they weren't the first musicians for whom the area struck a chord. Disco queen Donna Summer lived just down the road, in Westport, as did Nile Rodgers, the virtuosic guitarist and Chic co-founder, who recently accepted three Grammy Awards alongside Daft Punk. Other notable neighbors were jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, a longtime Wilton resident who died in 2012, "Feliz Navidad" crooner Jose Feliciano, of Weston, and the late Broadway composers Leonard Bernstein and Richard Rodgers, both of whom lived in Fairfield.

"For Tina and I, Connecticut had been a series of exits between Providence and New York," said Frantz, who, along with his wife, co-founded the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Talking Heads, as well as their own group, Tom Tom Club. "But when we started looking for a house and found out about all the musicians living here, we thought, this is pretty cool."

Frantz and Weymouth, among other illustrious musicians, have contributed to a rich musical legacy that is celebrated in "Fairfield's Rockin' Top Ten," an exhibition on view at the Fairfield Museum and History Center through Monday, April 28.

In choosing the top 10, Frantz and Jehle were guided by the same criteria used by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: 25 years has to have passed since the release of the artist's first album and he or she must have made a significant contribution "to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll."

"All of these people are undeniably great and stand out not just in our community, but in the history of music itself," said Frantz, who, along with Weymouth, was put on the list by the museum.

Some area residents may be oblivious to the rock royalty living in their midst. With "Rockin Top Ten," curators hope to bring attention to, and instill a sense of pride in, this oft-overlooked dimension of the region's culture and history.

"We're celebrating the 375th year of the town, and the museum had the idea that we should celebrate not just the history of the military and commerce -- things that are usually associated with Fairfield -- but the community's artists," Frantz said.

Musicians flocked to the area for a variety of reasons. Proximity to New York City was a common one, as was the relatively low cost of living. (Connecticut didn't charge an individual income tax until 1991.)

For Frantz and Weymouth, Fairfield represented an escape from the gritty atmosphere of Manhattan's Lower East Side -- a place where they could raise a family while continuing a career in music.

"We still love the city; we lived there for a long time," Frantz said. "But we wanted to live in a place where our kids could play without finding used condoms or see the `F' word written in graffiti."

Nile Rodgers moved to the region in pursuit of the rock `n' roll lifestyle. Westport proved the ideal playground for the "young and crazy" musician, who relocated from his New York City apartment to a waterfront home in the town's Saugatuck section in the late 1970s.

"I was really caught up in the craziness of the late '70s and early '80s," Rodgers recalled in a phone interview last week. "The fact that I could bring my boats right to my house. ... I thought I was the coolest guy in the world."

However, after 25 years of living in Westport, Rodgers "has slowly, but surely fell in love with the town." He has penned many of his biggest hits there.

"I think of it as an artistic and cultural place," said Rodgers "It's a really wonderful place for a musician."